


Gallows mercy

by BiLo Ren (do_it_to_julia)



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Armitage Hux Has Issues, Brutality, Chekhov's monomolecular blade, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Did I mention UNRELIABLE NARRATOR, Don't Read This, Drug Use, Execution, Jedi Mind Trick, Kylo Ren is Not Nice, Loss of Virginity, M/M, Mind Control, Non-Consensual, Non-Consensual Drug Use, POV Alternating, POV Hux, POV Kylo Ren, Poor Dopheld Mitaka, Rape, Unreliable Narrator, Vomiting, this will not end well
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-26
Updated: 2018-06-27
Packaged: 2019-04-25 12:31:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14378706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/do_it_to_julia/pseuds/BiLo%20Ren
Summary: In order to more fully embrace the Dark Side, Snoke orders Kylo Ren to commit a new kind of atrocity. General Hux struggles with a conscience that he didn't know he had.Tags and rating edited because Chapter 4 became more explicit than intended.I don't know why I wrote this. I definitely need help.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> star-beam drew a fantastic image of Mitaka for this fic's "missing scene" (which I might write as an epilogue at some point) - please take a look [here](https://star-beam.tumblr.com/post/177308736955/doittojulia-commissioned-this-really-cool-work-of) [SPOILERS, but sfw] while I work out how to put images in fics directly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is horrible. If you suspect at all that it might ruin your day, do not read it. For the love of all that is holy, do not read it. Because it only gets worse from here.

Hux did not remember what exactly the young man had done to warrant execution. Probably the true reason had died with Brendol. Even by the time Armitage was ten, and the First Order well on its way to becoming a galactic superpower, justice was little more than a veneer for corruption.

(Maybe it still was. Hux had never paid too much attention unless it directly impacted him.)

It wasn't the first death he'd seen, but it stayed with him. Something about the gentle way the blindfold had been lain over the officer's face, the lit cigarra pressed between his slim and shaking fingers; the way his body had jolted as his father gave the order to fire, even before the first blaster bolt had hit. _He's afraid_ , he had thought, as if the realization was something new even though it couldn't possibly have been, and that night he dreamed of laying a strip of black fabric over his father's face and feeling the last dregs of his love eke away into the dark.

* * *

He thought of that blindfold again, now, as he listened to Snoke's hoarse and even voice like a man hearing the words from a long distance away.

"I have taken care to chose a subject who would provide... effective psychic feedback," the Supreme Leader was saying. "The Lieutenant's sexual inexperience, his _obvious_ fear in the presence of my apprentice, will make him instrumental in allowing Lord Ren to fully embrace the dark side of the force."

The General's mouth was dry. He had to tear the words from himself, as if lodged inside his throat. "Just so we're clear, Supreme Leader. You're talking about sexually assaulting one of my officers."

He couldn't bring himself to look directly at Ren, though the mask hid the Knight's expression, as usual. Probably he didn't care. Worse, he was looking forward to it. The thought made him feel cold all over.

"Lieutenant Mitaka's file suggests he is more psychologically robust than average. I have no doubt you can ensure his continued usefulness as an officer, General - with the appropriate discretion."

That gnarled, sinewy face twisted into a grim smile. Hux kept his arms very still by his sides, afraid that if he moved at all, they would curl into fists of their own accord, fingernails biting into the skin. "Supreme Leader, I _must_ object. Surely this cannot be within your remit-"

"Your objection is noted." He gave a dismissive wave of his hand, a gesture more dangerous than it looked; Hux knew that any further argument would severely displease him. He was tempted for a moment to carry on anyway, but what would be the point? "And nothing is outside of my remit," Snoke was saying, with a warning tone. The General forced himself to stand to attention, and gave his best impression of an obsequious bow, though his body felt like it could barely move at all. "I trust you can prevent your security forces intervening, should the Lieutenant be foolish enough to try and summon help."

"As the Supreme Leader wills," he said, and turned on his heel. He did not look at Kylo Ren.

* * *

He had tried to remain stoic, to mask his thoughts as best he could - It was largely automatic around force-users, now - but by the time he reached his quarters his hands were trembling with a feeling he couldn't quite identify. A sick and recoiling anger, a horrific sense of inevitability, a kind of helplessness he hadn't felt since Arkanis.

And it made little sense to him. He'd ordered the deaths of thousands before, actively and knowingly and without a shred of remorse, so why did the thought of allowing this to happen through inaction cause a chill, invisible hand to grip inside his chest and twist?

It all seemed so distasteful. That might have been the crux of it. Hux had never thought of himself as squeamish before; had emerged hard-nosed and cold from his interrogation classes at the Academy, ready to sink to any depths for the service of the Order. And yet the mental image of Ren walking into Mitaka's quarters - Lord Kylo Ren, that overgrown child, in that stupid cloak and that stupid _fucking_ mask, pinning his officer to the wall by the throat and - his mind recoiled from the image. He couldn't force himself to stomach it, and didn't want to try.

He poured himself a drink, knocked it back without tasting it. There was, of course, the matter of his attraction to the young Lieutenant. Perhaps that would explain it, in part. He'd had vague plans, after Dopheld had climbed the ranks a little more and his loyalty had been assured, to send some gentle feelers in that direction, reasoning that even if Mitaka didn't reciprocate, he'd be flattered enough that he wouldn't ruin Hux's reputation in the refusal. He'd always been so _dedicated_. An image of the Lieutenant's face flashed unbidden in his mind, bright and hopeful, and the sick feeling in his stomach reasserted itself in full force.

 _Stop it. He's expendable. They're all expendable,_ he told himself sharply. _And he won't even kill him. You lose nothing from this._

He couldn't make it feel true, no matter how he tried.


	2. Chapter 2

Ren had grown accustomed to the screams of the dying, as if they were nothing more than background noise; the high shriek of blaster fire, the distant moaning of flame. It had been Skywalker's Academy burning first, and then - nothing of consequence. Village after nameless village, planet after insignificant planet, and that was all.

_One day_ , Snoke had told him, _you will relish in that sound_. Kylo had only got as far as ignoring it. He knew that was a failing. But he trusted his master, who was aeons wiser than Ren, and, in time, would show him how to open his heart to the pain of others, to bring it into himself and draw on it for strength.

The time would come. He tried not to think of it with fear.

* * *

Hux was doing a bad job of disguising his thoughts. Focused as Ren was on controlling his own reactions, he could not help but sense a faint and veiled revulsion from the General that, shamefully, echoed his own. Snoke must have sensed it, but he did not comment.

"I have taken care to chose a subject who would provide... effective psychic feedback," the Supreme Leader was saying. "The Lieutenant's sexual inexperience, his obvious fear in the presence of my apprentice, will make him instrumental in allowing Lord Ren to fully embrace the dark side of the force."

"Just so we're clear, Supreme Leader," Hux replied coldly, "You're talking about sexually assaulting one of my officers."

The words made Kylo Ren recoil; first at the conversation and then, reflexively, at his own weakness. This was nothing. He had killed hundreds. Thousands, perhaps; he didn't keep count. What was one officer - one more act of aggression, intimate as it might have been? He kept his body still, swallowed imperceptibly, waited to be addressed as Snoke continued.

"Lieutenant Mitaka's file suggests he is more psychologically robust than average. I have no doubt you can ensure his continued usefulness as an officer, General - with the appropriate discretion."

Hux, he could tell, was fighting to keep his tone calm. "Supreme Leader, I must object. Surely this cannot be within your remit-"

"Your objection is noted." He gave a dismissive wave of his hand, his voice taking on an edge that Kylo recognized well. "And nothing is outside of my remit. I trust you can prevent your security forces intervening, should the Lieutenant be foolish enough to try and summon help."

The General bowed. Ren could feel the effort it took. "As the Supreme Leader wills," Hux said, and turned on his heel.

He did not look at Kylo Ren.

* * *

The rest of the conversation had been difficult to stomach. He knew Snoke had felt it. Perhaps that was the idea. _"Ensure you look into his mind, as you proceed,"_ the Supreme Leader had said. _"Allow yourself to feel his reactions. Embrace his pain, his humiliation. Take pleasure in it. It will be proof of your power."_

Even in the relative chill of his quarters, the mask felt stifling and hot. He took it off, found himself impatient for the release of each catch, suppressed the urge to tear it from his face and fling it at the mirror.

_It shouldn't be a problem,_ he told himself. _You've done far worse._ It wasn't convincing enough. He tried to picture himself holding Lieutenant Mitaka down, the young man's futile struggling, the sound of his voice - would he scream? Or just grit his teeth and weep? Would it - kriffing hell, would it _put him off_? He'd imagined being with Dopheld before - probably his vague attraction to the man was partly what had driven Snoke to choose him for this - but in his fantasies, the young Lieutenant had always been willing. _Please, Lord Ren,_ and _I need you inside me_ and _oh void, oh stars, you make me feel so good_ \- trying to twist the fantasy into a brutal violation made revulsion curl and harden in his throat.

_"They are nothing but cattle,"_ his master had told him once. _"You are above them, young Solo, and in time, you will open yourself to the darkness I sense within you and take your rightful place."_

He couldn't make it feel true, no matter how he tried.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTE: I am not a medical professional and am not 100% certain on the dosage mentioned in this chapter, but you shouldn't be using fanfic for clinical guidance anyway. Don't do drugs.

1.5mg scopolamine, crushed tablet form. Ideally dissolved in a glucose and alcohol suspension for oral administration, but Hux would have to make do with some cheap, shitty liqueur confiscated from a junior officer's locker.

The guidelines on the holonet suggested it would take ten minutes to kick in and wear off within eight hours, so he set all his office comms to automatic divert and changed out of his work clothes before beginning the experiment. Then he lay back on his bed, and tried not to think about why he was doing this.

He felt nothing at first, just a slight, nauseated dizziness and a dry mouth, but when he eventually reached for the glass of water, his hand felt clumsy. He noted this down. After half an hour, he took a slow and experimental walk around the room. The floor stretched under him, and seemed to cling to his feet, as if the artificial gravity had been kicked up a notch - when he picked up his datapad stylus, his fingers were weak and fumbling. _He won't be able to fight back,_ Hux realized, but the thought did not disturb him as it had before the dose, and then; _Good._ Mitaka would only hurt himself if he tried.

His intention was only to make things easier, not to sedate him fully. Ren would notice, then, and it would only compound the situation, possibly falling back on Hux as well. He wasn't brave enough to take that blaster bolt for Mitaka. It was safe to acknowledge this, now, when facing the fact of his own cowardice no longer pierced his ego; the drug made him feel pleasantly distant, in a way that reminded him of being drunk.

The guilt had lifted from his stomach. He felt almost content, despite the dry-eyed stickiness when he blinked and the way the slats on his ceiling had started to blur. Yes. This would do. This was fine.

It was all going to be fine.

* * *

"I'm signing off for the evening. Have a drink with me, Lieutenant?"

Dopheld looked up from his console. Possibly he'd been planning on working late, again. _Always so dedicated._ In that moment, Armitage wished he'd popped another one of those pills before approaching him, but he quickly dismissed it as ridiculous. And dangerous. Couldn't have his hand fumble when he slipped that powder into the Lieutenant's drink.

 _You're going to drug him,_ Hux's thoughts reminded him. _You're literally going to roofie him so it's not so bad when Kylo Ren rapes him. And you're alright with this._

Well, no, he wasn't. But he wasn't going to stop it.

"I'd... be honoured, sir," Dopheld replied, clearly taken aback and - a moment later - clearly slightly embarrassed at his own choice of words. "What's the occasion?"

Hux had always been good at maintaining a poker face, thank fuck.

"Merely interested in how you're getting on," he said. "Walk with me."

Back in his quarters, the General's heart rate picked up as he tipped the powder into the glass and stirred it. "Are you sure your cigarras in here, sir?" came Mitaka's voice from the bedroom, causing his breath to freeze in his throat. But the Lieutenant didn't come in. _You planned for this,_ Hux reminded himself, wiping the stirrer off on the inside of his sleeve and slipping it away with careful precision.

Out loud, he said, "Try the pocket of my robe. On the hook by the door."

How could this be so much more nervewracking than actually poisoning someone? Hux might have preferred to have others do his dirty work, but he was no stranger to a discreet assassination when circumstances called for it. And it had never been difficult to keep the same reassuring smile on his face right up until the poison took effect or the blade went in. Back then, he'd always been calm; had even enjoyed the challenge here and there, deriving a sharp little thrill from the proof of his own competence when the job was done.

Now, as Dopheld returned from the other room with the tabac tin in hand, Armitage could only feel a stab of revulsion at what was about to happen. He forced it down, dragged his mind away to try and focus on practical aspects; make sure he drinks it, make sure he gets back to his quarters, make sure that if he seeks medical attention the attending physician knows to 'lose' the file. It barely helped. When Mitaka accepted the proffered cigarra, wide-eyed and clearly flattered, Hux didn't dare offer to light it himself, afraid the tremor of his fingers would give him away - only passed the lighter over to Dopheld, who took it, smiling, and lit up with steady and innocent hands.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains graphic imagery connected with sexual assault. You read at your own risk. A summary will be provided at the beginning of chapter 5 for those who don't want to read through this.

He ended up having to shove one hand over Mitaka's mouth to quiet him, but the words rolled over in his head regardless.

 _Please, Lord Ren, this isn't necessary, please let me go_.

The Lieutenant seemed slow and confused at first - didn't even try to fight back when Kylo grabbed him - and his breath smelt lightly of cheap, sweet alcohol. Ren was momentarily tempted to leave it for another time, when Mitaka was sober, but he knew delaying this would only create more complications. Better to get this over with. 

_He's not serious. He can't be about to do this. Oh Maker, no, this has to be a dream, I feel cold and sick all over, this isn't real, please let this not be real._

He retched into Ren's hand when he was penetrated, and after that he didn't scream or weep at all. Just grit his jaw and clenched his eyes shut, enduring.

_I'm a coward. An idiot. I should have fought him off, shouldn't have had that drink. Getting sick from one cigarra like the pathetic child I am. It hurts, oh Maker it hurts so much. Will he kill me afterwards, leave my corpse for the doctors to find? Will they see what he did? Will they laugh?_

When was it supposed to start feeling powerful? When was looking into Mitaka's mind as he violated him supposed to do anything but make it more and more difficult to finish his task?

_I hate him. I hate him. It hurts so much. I want to die. I don't want to die. Breathe. Breathe. Wait for it to be over. Above all things do not let yourself cry._

Kylo couldn't finish. While Dopheld rolled over onto his side and tried to cover himself, thoughts racing and dizzy - _get up and run get up now what's wrong with me oh stars I'm bleeding_ \- Ren moved to the fresher to dispose of the blood-smeared condom, feeling sordid and ashamed. He took off the mask and stared at himself in the mirror. He didn't understand why his eyes were wet, but it made him angry.

This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Snoke had promised this would help him, but all it had done so far was make him feel even more disgusted with himself than he'd ever been before.

The doors to Mitaka's quarters slid open.

Ren was out there like a bolt. Without the weight of the Knight's body or the Force to hold him down - the latter had barely been needed in the first place - Dopheld had obviously seized the opportunity to run. That wouldn't do. Ren caught him around the waist and dragged the kicking, struggling officer back inside, tightening his hold as he concentrated on the corridor outside to make sure nobody had seen.

Mitaka was bare under the uniform greatcoat, his whole body shivering with adrenaline, reminding him of the panicked flutter of a trapped bird. There was something alluring and vulnerable about that, and Ren felt his arousal stir again as he clamped the man's body against his own.

Maybe he could work with this.

He tore off the coat. Shoved him to the ground. Forced Dopheld's arm behind his trembling back, kicked his knees apart, plunged into his mind again as he fumblingly retrieved another barrier from his pocket-

_\- please not again not again -_

_\- survived Arkanis, I can survive this -_

_\- he was crying why was he crying-_

And then nothing. Inarticulate pain. Fear. The magnification of every other tiny discomfort in his body, along with the tearing agony of the assault. Dry eyes, dry mouth, heavy legs, aching hips, the burn of vomit in his throat.

It became background noise, eventually. Not ideal, but better than nothing. And now that Mitaka had seen his face, had seen him _crying_ , even, it was easier for Kylo to let himself relax. Because now he had an excuse.

Breathing hard in the wake of his orgasm, Ren released the arm lock. He slid his slick palm to the Lieutenant's shoulder, squeezing without knowing why, and he felt Mitaka's whole body tense as he lowered himself to whisper into his ear, focusing the Force into the officer's mind with a soft gesture of the other hand.

"Forget."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previous chapter summary for those who skipped: Kylo Ren forces himself on Mitaka. He finds the task difficult at first, but when Mitaka sees him crying, he is able to use this as an excuse to complete the assault and wipe his memory afterwards. He does not leave DNA evidence.

Hux didn't sleep. He sat at his desk, drinking and trying to pretend he was looking over Starkiller construction updates, until the alert sounded on his datapad and he opened a comm to medbay.

"Dr Varma here."

"This is General Hux. Are you alone, Doctor?"

When her voice came back, after a delay, it was significantly colder. "Yes, sir. Can I help you?"

"You've just seen a patient named Dopheld Mitaka." He took the silence on the line as assent. "I need you to lose that file. Do you understand?"

Varma seemed to be thinking carefully before her response. It occurred belatedly that she might well have been recording this for blackmail purposes - Hux swore in his head and made a mental note to have her assets randomly searched later on.

"I hope you know that explicitly contravenes practice guidelines in this situation. Sir," she said, with a veiled but perceptible tremor in her voice.

"You and I both know that taking this further will cost you your job, Doctor. At best." He made sure to enunciate that last point. "Lose the file. Or you will be replaced by someone who can."

"Yes, sir," she replied finally, allowing the General's hand to loosen around his commlink, but only slightly. "As it happens, Lieutenant Mitaka had elected not to press charges in this instance. Is there anything else?"

She sounded as if she hated him. Dopheld had probably worked it out, then, and hadn't been shy about the way Hux had essentially delivered him into his rapist's hands. A cold feeling settled inside him as he realized his gesture of mercy might have backfired; that Mitaka had no doubt assumed the drugs were to keep him compliant, rather than ease his pain.

Which meant it probably hadn't helped at all. Fuck.

"Nothing else," he said quietly, and cut off the transmission.

* * *

He'd cancelled Dopheld's shift on the bridge today, but the Lieutenant still came in. Hux wondered grimly if he was trying to distract himself. Technically, he was contravening orders, but Maker, if there was ever a time to let that pass, this was it.

He moved to intercept the younger man on the way to his station, and when Dopheld caught sight of him, his whole body seemed to tense up, eyes shadowed from lack of sleep, and fearful - and angry.

The mottled blush of a bruise was blooming on one cheekbone, still visible despite the bacta that had probably been applied early this morning. Hux couldn't take his eyes off it. Hate boiled and clustered in his throat.

 _One day, Kylo Ren,_ he promised himself. _One fucking day Snoke won't be able to protect you any more, and I will relish killing you._

He would take care of that one himself. It would be a pleasure.

"Sir?" Mitaka's voice had the same chill tone as Varma's. Hux crammed down the novel and disconcerting impulse to apologize. For all the good it would do.

"Did you inform Peavey you were turning up for your shift?" He asked, finding his own voice weaker than it should have been.

"Yes, sir." Dopheld was very still, like an animal in the sight of a predator. Hux took a quiet breath.

"Good. A word in private, before you start?"

"I don't see why that's necessary, sir."

The reaction to the younger man's reply was subtle, but palpable. Hands stilled on consoles; heads twitched toward them, then snapped hurriedly forward again. A concerted indrawn breath rippled silently through the room.

_Oh, Dopheld. Please don't be stupid about this._

Appearing too lenient in front of his subordinates would only add to the General's problems right now. Hux forced himself to sound more irritated than he was. "Consider it a direct order, Lieutenant. And watch how you address your superiors." Dopheld seemed frozen in place, as if his feet had been fixed to the ground, but after a moment he made himself move. When the doors to the empty conference room closed behind them, his face was almost white, and Hux felt once more that stab of ice deep in his stomach, that painful clench in his chest.

"I hope you understand that I had no choice in what happened," he said slowly. "What I did - I was trying to make it easier on you-"

Mitaka's expression cycled through fear to furious disbelief. His hands were tight fists at either side of him when he interrupted.

"No choice," he repeated. "Really."

At any other time, Hux would have pulled him up on it. Instead, he tensed his jaw, trying not to let on how much this conversation pained him.

"Please know that I will do my utmost to ensure this doesn't happen again," he said. He could see Dopheld's facade start to crumble, helpless confusion in his eyes, and went on hurriedly. "Doubtless, it will be little consolation to you, but I admire your fortitude in showing up today, and I want to see that continue."

Mitaka's breaths were quick and almost panicked. He shook his head; covered his face with his hands. It felt, for a moment, as if it would take all of Hux's willpower not to simply leave the man to his misery, to walk away from this horrific reminder of what had been done. But he owed Dopheld this. The General tugged his gloves down over his wrists, then forced his hands behind his back, knuckles whitening under the leather.

"I'm going to have you fitted for a monomolecular blade," he said.

Mitaka looked up, hands cupped in front of his face, as if in supplication. His voice was weak. "What?"

"I can't undo what happened to you, Lieutenant. But I can ensure that you at least feel safe-"

Dopheld forced his arms down by his sides again. "I don't want _anything_ from you."

It felt as if Hux had been slapped. Anger flared, with shame quick on its heels, and after that, determination. If he could offer nothing else, he could at least do this.

"I'll have a droid sent to you after your shift. I won't take no for an answer, Lieutenant," he said gently.

"You never asked," Mitaka spat back, with undisguised fury, and strode for the door.

Hux let him go. He was right about that, after all.


	6. Chapter 6

They're both dragged in to the throne room- Mitaka stumbling, the General lifeless and smearing blood in his wake. Captain Peavey grabs the Lieutenant by the scruff and forces him to his knees, blaster in hand; Dr Varma and her companion turn Hux onto his back, his head pointing toward Snoke. One of them leans down and, respectfully, shuts his eyes.

Kylo Ren doesn't move. The Supreme Leader rises from his seat with a subtle and lopsided smile.

"How interesting," he says. Ren's eyes are on Dopheld's face. He looks as cold and drained as Hux, and he's visibly shaking. Snoke's eyes narrow a little. "Leave us," he tells Peavey. A subtle change seems to pass through the standing officers, a stiffening of posture.

"With respect, sir, I think you should hear what he has to say," clips Varma's companion, a tall and slightly stocky woman wearing a Colonel's insignia. Kylo's hand creeps toward his lightsaber, and the Supreme Leader's face contorts with rage. He raises his voice.

"Do you presume me so _foolish_ as to be unaware of-"

Edrison Peavey points his blaster and shoots.

* * *

The face in Ren's mirror is no different, even beneath the mask. He stares into his own eyes for a long time, willing himself to believe that something has changed - that the task he enacted on Mitaka, which still makes something inside his chest coil and shrink every time he is reminded of it - has altered his psyche just as much as it altered the Lieutenant's. Because he knows Dopheld is aware of it. He just doesn't remember who it was.

But there's nothing new in what he sees. And the light, the light inside his soul is still there.

It makes him want to scream.

"I'm not a monster," he murmurs. Fifteen years ago he would have cried with relief to hear it. Now all it does is make him feel like a failure.

His door chime sounds.

* * *

Snoke stops the blaster bolt immediately, but Ren is already hurtling toward the throne, lightsaber drawn. They've lost the element of surprise too early, but the other two factors Snoke is probably relying on for his victory - Ren's assistance and the Praetorian Guard - are still covered. The doors burst open, and as the red-plated warriors advance toward the officers in the centre of the room, more blaster bolts cut through the air, some of them even hitting their targets. Apparently Mitaka wasn't wrong when he said Hux had plenty of enemies.

The Lieutenant himself is already up and shooting. When Varma goes down, caught in the midriff by a reflected bolt, he immediately drops to cover her. He's still pale, but now his hands are firm and unshaking on the grip of his weapon, and Ren can feel the anger driving him forward, emanating from his mind like heat.

In the moment before the light goes out in Snoke's eyes and Ren pulls his lightsaber clean through the bloodless corpse, he wonders if Hux realized what was coming, if he saw the flash of the monomolecular blade before it went in. Not that it matters now at all.

* * *

"I want Hux dead."

Mitaka looks like he hasn't slept for several days. Ren is thankful that the mask is hiding his own expression. To see Dopheld facing him without fear is somehow worse than seeing him as he was before - stripped, sobbing, retching with fear and pain. Now his uniform is flawless and only his eyes betray the fact that something has irreparably changed in him.

And Kylo, incredibly, still feels sorry for him. But he also feels lighter, because he's realized, now, what he needs to do.

"Let's make a deal," he says, and takes off his mask.

* * *

"Congratulations on your promotion, General," Ren tells the Colonel, as his mask drops to the ground. He doesn't need it any more. As Peavey stands up and straightens his bloodied tunic, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren nods at him. "Major," he adds, and then extends a hand to Mitaka, who takes it. His body tenses when Kylo pulls him in for a kiss.

Ren ignores this. He'll get used to it, in time.

It wasn't his intention to fall. But there is a pleasant kind of symmetry in the fact that Snoke indirectly achieved by dying what he could never accomplish in life.

Slowly, gradually, the light in his soul will flicker out. And it will not be from hurting Dopheld. It will be from making Dopheld love him.

And the next time Ren looks in the mirror, he will finally see the eyes of a monster looking back at him.


End file.
